Portable computing devices are gaining popularity, in part, because of their decreasing prices and increasing performance. Another reason for their increasing popularity may be due to the fact that some portable computing devices may be operated at many locations, e.g., by relying on battery power. However, as more functionality is integrated into portable computing devices, the need to reduce power consumption becomes increasingly important, for example, to maintain battery power for an extended period of time.
Moreover, some portable computing devices include a liquid crystal display (LCD) or “flat panel” display. Today's mobile devices are generally designed to be “always ready” for updating new frames on the display. While this state of readiness may be great for visual performance requirements, the power incurred becomes wasteful when the system is idle (e.g., while the image on the display does not change for a given time period).